Ao Q, Egolet RO, Yin H, Cui F. Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccines among Adults in Lilongwe, Malawi: A Cross-Sectional Study Based on the Health Belief Model.
Vaccines (Basel) 2022;
10:760. [PMID:
35632516 PMCID:
PMC9144805 DOI:
10.3390/vaccines10050760]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant economic and social impact on Malawi. Promoting vaccination is a key protection measure against COVID-19. Employing the health beliefs model (HBM), this study explores various factors that influence COVID-19 vaccination acceptance (intentions and behavior) among adult residents of Malawi. A semi-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. A field-based survey was conducted among adult residents in Lilongwe, Malawi. Descriptive statistics, linear regression, the Chi-square test, and Pearson's correlation statistics were used for data analysis. A total of 758 questionnaires were involved. Respondents aged 18-24 (OR = 5.079, 95% CI 2.303-11.202), 25-34 (OR = 2.723, 95% CI 1.363-5.438), urban residents (OR = 1.915, 95% CI 1.151-3.187), graduates/professionals (OR = 1.193, 95% CI 0.857-1.651), health workers (OR = 4.080, 95% CI 1.387-12.000), perceived susceptibility (OR = 1.787, 95% CI 1.226-2.605), perceived benefit (OR = 2.992, 95% CI 1.851-4.834), and action cues (OR = 2.001, 95% CI 1.285-3.115) were predictors for "acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine". The health belief model structure can be used as a good predictor of vaccine acceptance, especially "perceived susceptibility," "perceived benefit," and "action cues". Strengthening COVID-19 vaccine education in these areas will be an important future intervention.
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